Visualize Snapchat Ads Data in Tableau Desktop (through CData Connect)

Tableau is a visual analytics platform transforming the way businesses use data to solve problems. When paired with CData Connect (or Connect Server), you can easily get access to live Snapchat Ads data within Tableau.

CData Connect Server provides a pure SQL Server interface for Snapchat Ads, allowing you to easily build reports from live Snapchat Ads data in Tableau Desktop — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you build visualizations, Tableau Desktop generates SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Server pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc) directly to Snapchat Ads, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested Snapchat Ads data.

This article shows how to create a virtual SQL Server database for Snapchat Ads, connect to the virtual database in Tableau, and build a simple chart.

Create a Virtual SQL Server Database for Snapchat Ads Data

CData Connect Server uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources and generate APIs.

1. Login to Connect Server and click Connections.
2. Select "Snapchat Ads" from Available Data Sources.
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Snapchat Ads.

   You will need to create an OAuth application to connect to Snapchat Ads. See the online Help documentation for an authentication guide.

   Additionally, you can optionally set AccountId to provide a default Account ID (meaning it won't need to be manually provided in the WHERE clause). If the AccountId is not specified, the first account in the Accounts view is used.

4. Click Save Changes
5. Click Privileges -> Add and add the new user (or an existing user) with the appropriate permissions.

With the virtual database created, you are ready to connect to Snapchat Ads data from Tableau Desktop.

Visualize Live Snapchat Ads Data in Tableau Desktop

The steps below outline connecting to the virtual Snapchat Ads database in CData Connect and building a simple visualization from the data.

1. Open Tableau and click "Microsoft SQL Server" under Connect -> To a Server.
2. In the connection wizard, enter the values for your CData Connect instance and click "Sign In"
   • Server: the address of your Connect instance and port of the TDS endpoint, separated by a comma (default port is: 1433)
   • Database: the virtual database you configured for the Snapchat Ads data
   • Username & Password: the credentials for a CData Connect user
3. Select your newly created database and the table(s) you wish to visualize (defining relationships for JOINed tables as needed).
4. Select Dimensions and Measures and configure your visualization.

SQL Access to Snapchat Ads Data from On-Premise Applications

At this point, you have a direct connection to live Snapchat Ads data from your Tableau Desktop workbook. You can create new visualizations, build dashboards, and more. For more information on gaining SQL access to data from more than 200 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources (including Snapchat Ads) from desktop applications like Tableau refer to our CData Connect page or download a free trial.